Qualified or Quantified?

Shawn Allen, MD answers: Who is qualified to inject Botox?

I'm thinking about getting Botox injections in my forehead but I don't know what qualifications/education pratitioners need to do Botox injections. 


Shawn Allen, MD
7 months ago

You ask who is qualified to inject Botox.  The product is sold to any doctor, even dentists are using it.  So it goes deeper than who is using it and how much are they doing.  You could be doing something wrong for years and not know it.  So look for experts in skin and facial anatomy.  Dermatologists, plastic surgeons. facial plastic surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons. These are the skin and facial anatomy experts who can maximize your results while minimizing any chance of complications. Dont let nonphysicians inject you, this product is expensive and can cause problems if done poorly or incorrectly....insist on  having the doctor do it .  If they tell you the doctor doesnt do the injections themselves then ask yourself why are you getting your injections done in a place where the "supervising" doctor doesnt know how to do it themselves. The doctor is the one who the company sent the product to not the staff members.  If you think non-physicians are qualified to inject... just so you know a front desk receptionist is just as qualified to inject as the nurse...Botox or facial injections for that matter are not  part of any nursing school training.  In fact, in some places that is who will be injecting you, the former front desk receptionist who was promoted to "injection specialist."  So beware and always fall back on the doctors credentials...ultimately they are the ones responsible and nothing else matters.

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